Call Waiting

by Dianne Blacklock

She was meeting Jamie at Thommo’s house in Newtown. She’d caught the train to visit Ally last time, so Meg thought it was best to keep to the same arrangement so as not to attract suspicion. Not that she would. Poor trusting Chris would never suspect anything in a million years. Jamie was a bit put out at first that she wouldn’t have the car. But he said he’d organize something.

  Meg had intended to catch a taxi from home, but Chris insisted on driving her to Central Station. She experienced a moment’s dread when he suggested they come in and wave her off.

  “Don’t be silly!” she blurted. “You’ll never get a park.”

  “I could try…”

  “Chris, let’s not make a big deal, it might upset Harrison, you never know.”

  He frowned.

  “And I don’t want him out in this wind, he still hasn’t got over that head cold.”

  “Okay, if you say so.”

  Meg had skulked around all the entrances making sure Chris had definitely gone before she flew out and leaped into a waiting taxi. The subterfuge of the past weeks had worn her out. Some of her initial excitement had waned, replaced with guilt and self-loathing. It was not the best frame of mind to be in at the start of their tryst, and meeting here, at the house of ill repute, only made it worse.

  “Hiya.”

  Meg looked up. Jamie was standing in Thommo’s doorway, watching her approach. He tripped down the path and stopped in front of her, taking the bag out of her hand.

  “Where’s the car?” said Meg absently, looking up the street.

  “Hey?” Jamie stared into her eyes, frowning. He brought his hand up to her face, lifting her chin, making her look at him. “Hello,” he said softly, before drawing her closer and kissing her. He didn’t stop until she relaxed against him. “That’s better,” he said.

  She smiled faintly at him.

  “I know this is a big deal, Meg.” He had a strange expression on his face. Meg worried he was going to go all sensitive on her. She had the SNAG at home. She wanted something different from Jamie. “So I’ve got a surprise first, to help you loosen up.”

  “I told you, no illegal substances.”

  He laughed. “No, we’re going to get a natural high.” He took hold of her hand. “Car’s this way.”

  “Where’s your luggage?”

  “We’re only going overnight, Meg.” He shook his head, grinning.

  He stopped beside a battered, rusted old Holden which Meg thought must have been dumped there. Jamie opened the back door and tossed her bag in.

  “You’re not serious?” Meg said, staring incredulously at the car.

  He looked at her. “What’s wrong? I know it’s a bit old, but it passed rego last month.”

  “How much was the bribe?”

  Jamie grinned. “Well, it’s either this or the bike.”

  Meg climbed reluctantly into the front. There was a bench seat, they didn’t put them in the front of cars anymore.

  “What are you doing all the way over there?” Jamie said, sliding in behind the steering wheel and patting the seat next to him. “It’s safe. There’s even a seat belt.”

  Meg frowned, “I’m not sixteen you know.”

  He laughed. “Suit yourself.”

  He started up the engine, and it coughed, spluttered and eventually roared into life. They drove through the back of Newtown and came out onto Parramatta Road.

  Meg remembered something Jamie said earlier. “This natural high, it doesn’t involve jumping out of an airplane, does it?”

  He shook his head. “It’s safe and legal, and quite tame. Even kids do it.”

  They drove on through the inner western suburbs till they joined the freeway at Concord.

  “You’re not going to tell me where we’re going?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  Meg glanced out the window. “Taylor said you’d been away?”

  “Yep. Just up to Bali and back. I’ve got friends there, did a bit of surfing. I was only gone a couple of weeks.”

  Meg nodded.

  “I haven’t been on a big trip for a while, and I’m getting itchy feet. I’ll have to make some money first though.”

  When she didn’t say anything, he looked across at her. “Did you ever get around to organizing your trip?”

  “What trip?”

  “The one you were thinking about when I bumped into you up at the Junction.”

  “Oh, that was nothing. Just a holiday.”

  “Where are you going?”

  Meg was almost embarrassed to say. “We can’t do anything that adventurous, you know, with Harrison…”

  “Where are you going?” he repeated.

  She sighed. “Club Med. Tahiti. Ten days.”

  “Ooh, swanky.”

  “Stop it.”

  He smiled. “Nice beaches in Tahiti.”

  They drove on for about ten minutes. At the tollgates Meg noticed the billboard for Australia’s Wonderland. She looked suspiciously at Jamie, but he was concentrating on changing lanes.

  “Is it much farther?”

  “Nup. Just up the road.”

  A few minutes later he turned off the freeway at the Wonderland exit and made a right turn into the entrance.

  “Tell me this is a joke,” said Meg dryly.

  “Come on, Meg, it’ll be fun.”

  “I hate amusement parks. And I’m not using the word ‘hate’ lightly.”

  They drove around the carpark, looking for a spot. Meg watched the families unpacking their gear. There were very young children, tiny children, bursting with excitement.

  “I was always the one who held the coats and bags, you know,” she said glumly. “While everybody went on the rides.”

  Jamie pulled into a space and turned off the engine. He sidled over closer to Meg, his arm across the back of the seat. “If you don’t like it, we’ll leave. But at least give it a go first.”

  He leaned forward to kiss her. Meg felt her pulse start to quicken, remembering what this weekend was all about. It filled her with a mixture of excitement and dread. Maybe a rollercoaster ride was just what she needed. Like having someone step on your toes to help you forget you had headache.

  “What will we start with?” Jamie said, once they were through the entrance.

  Meg saw a sign for Hanna Barbera Land.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Jamie laughed, watching her. “Come on, I can see you’re going to need shock therapy.”

  They lined up for something called The Demon. Meg couldn’t see the ride ahead, they were in a covered walkway, obstructing the view, which was just as well. She was trying to convince herself she could do this, just the once. It was true what she’d said to Jamie. She was always the one that held everyone’s gear while they went on the rides. She’d stand alone and watch their faces as they whizzed by her. Sometimes there was sheer terror, but mostly there was a kind of exhilaration. Meg used to envy that.

  It was a long queue and Jamie passed the time telling her about his trip to Bali. He was unashamedly affectionate toward her, not bothered at all about holding or kissing her in public. Meg couldn’t help wondering what people were thinking. Did she look a lot older than him? Did they look like the odd couple? She in her Country Road weekend coordinates, Jamie in the ubiquitous cargo pants and whatever jumper he’d probably picked up off the floor that morning. It was a big chunky thing, fraying at the edge of the sleeves, but he still managed to look sexy. How was it that guys could drag on any old thing and look perfectly acceptable, while women felt self-conscious if they went to the corner shop without make-up?

  They were at the end of the queue. There were only a couple of people ahead of them, so they would be on the next ride. Jamie was working harder than ever to distract her.

  “I know what you’re doing,” she smiled at him.

  “Making up for lost time,” he murmured, kissing her again.

  “And keeping my mind off what’s coming?”

  “That too.”
>
  Their carriage arrived and Jamie led her to the middle section. Meg figured that seats at the front or back would be for much braver souls. Jamie reached over and lowered the solid metal harness over her shoulders, before staff came along to lock it in place. Meg was surprised when the carriage jolted off in reverse. She couldn’t turn around to see what was coming, the harness kept her in a fairly fixed position. But soon it became obvious, as the carriage climbed steeply backward, coming to a halt in a vertical position, high above the track. Meg realized there was only one way they could go now. Straight down.

  “Shit!”

  Jamie reached across and clasped her hand tight as the brakes released and they dropped. Meg hardly knew what was happening after that. The carriage almost flew above the track, whizzing through corners, jolting her head around mercilessly. When she dared to open her eyes she saw a loop-the-loop ahead, or maybe there were two, she wasn’t sure if she was seeing right.

  There were two, Meg realized with dread after they had just endured the first. For the second time they shot through the air in an arc, twisting somehow so that they were on the outside of the loop, then coiling back inside on the descent. They bolted along the track and rose straight up until the carriage hung vertically in the air, as they had at the start of the ride. But this time they were facing the sky. Meg’s heart sank as she realized they had to do this all over again. Backward. The carriage dropped and off they went, the world blurring by until Meg finally became aware they were slowing down, and they weren’t in a vertical position this time.

  When the carriage pulled up and their harnesses were released, Jamie was quick to jump out, turning to help Meg up. Just as well, her legs were trembling and she felt winded. Her heart was still racing. Jamie kept his arm around her as they walked slowly down the path, stopping at a quiet alcove, out of the way of the passing throng. Meg leaned back against the garden wall.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She nodded. She was okay, but she felt weird. Overwhelmed maybe? She could feel tears welling, she didn’t know where they came from. Jamie closed his arms around her and she leaned against him while he stroked her hair.

  “You were very brave,” he said eventually. “That’s the worst one by far. You could handle anything now.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes glassy. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

  * * *

  The next couple of hours passed by in a blur for Meg as she was dropped, spun around, twirled upside down and generally disorientated. When she could bear to open her eyes, she saw the sky rising to meet the land, trees hanging from their trunks, a vertical lake. And when she was scared at the top of the ferris wheel, Jamie held her close and kissed her. She didn’t know whether the lurch she felt in her stomach was from the kiss or the subsequent descent, but at least she didn’t care for that moment.

  “I’m done,” Meg said finally, plonking herself down on a nearby bench. “And I’m starved.”

  She had not trusted herself to have anything but a cup of coffee till now, in case she threw up.

  Jamie smiled broadly at her. “Righto. Let’s eat.”

  They sat at an outdoor table and he bought them burgers and a Coke each. When she’d finished eating, Meg took out her phone.

  “What are you doing?” Jamie frowned.

  “I should check my messages…”

  He leaned over and plucked the phone out of her hand, slipping it into his pants pocket.

  “This is your time, Meg,” he said when she went to protest. “The sun is going to set tonight and rise again tomorrow without you checking on it.”

  Meg paused. “If I don’t call home sometime today, it’s going to look odd.”

  “Well, you can’t do it here, the background noise doesn’t exactly sound like the Southern Highlands.”

  Meg gazed around, listening to the jumble of sounds: screams of hysteria, laughter, piped music, barkers.

  “Don’t let me forget later then.”

  “I won’t. Do you want a coffee or something?”

  * * *

  After lunch they wandered around for a while, delaying the inevitable. When they left here, there was one thing they were going to do. Meg was trying to recapture some of the pure lust she felt two weeks ago, when she met Jamie at Hyde Park. But she couldn’t. It was too heavily laced with guilt now.

  “What do you want to do next?” said Jamie after they had walked a full circuit around the park. “See anything that interested you?”

  Meg shook her head emphatically. “No, I’ve done my quota.”

  “Had enough for today?”

  “For a lifetime.”

  He laughed. “Then we may as well head off.”

  Where to? Meg thought. She wondered if he’d made a booking somewhere. It was not likely, considering his usual travel arrangements.

  In the car, he slid over to her side and caged her in his arms. “What do you want to do?”

  Meg swallowed. She knew she was flushed. He brought his lips down on hers and kissed her urgently, for the first time today. It was more salacious, and Meg stirred inside, hearing herself moan faintly. Now the feeling was returning.

  “Do you want to go to a hotel?” he murmured, nuzzling into her neck. Then he stuck his tongue inside her ear! Meg shivered. So that’s what it felt like. She’d seen it in movies, and thought it was a bit odd, but now she understood. She could have had sex with him right now in the car, if only there weren’t small children around.

  “How far do we have to go?” she breathed.

  He pulled back from her, staring into her eyes. His pupils were huge and black. “We’ll stop at the first one we come to.”

  Jamie started up the engine, and this time Meg moved over next to him. He smiled at her, putting his arm around her across the back of the seat. As they drove on up the highway, Meg leaned her head on his shoulder, resting one hand on his thigh. She felt like she had a pulse throbbing down through her core, and she wanted to savor it, imagining what Jamie would do to her. She felt hot.

  After they had been driving for about ten minutes they saw a sign advertising a motel. Jamie pulled into the carpark another five hundred meters farther.

  “You’ve got a credit card?” he asked rhetorically.

  She looked at him with a blank expression. “Well, yes. But I’m not going to use it.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t want a motel bill coming up on my statement. How do you think I’d explain that?”

  They sat not saying anything for a minute.

  “Haven’t you got a credit card?” she asked.

  “What would I be doing with a credit card?” Jamie sighed loudly. “Well, have you got any cash?”

  Meg started to feel a bit affronted. “Not much,” she said in a small voice. “You want me to pay?”

  Jamie looked at her. “Don’t get all offended. I’ve paid for everything so far today, Meg. I’m not made of money, you know.”

  “Sorry.”

  They sat not saying anything, until the shrill ring of her mobile broke the silence.

  “Fuck!” Jamie reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone, dropping it on her lap. He opened the car door. “I’m having a smoke,” he said, getting out and slamming the door.

  Meg pressed a button to answer the call, her fingers trembling.

  “Hello?” she said warily.

  “Hi honey.” It was Chris. “Where are you?”

  “What do you mean ‘where are you?’ Where do you think I am?”

  “It’s just you said that you’d call when you got there. I thought maybe the train was delayed.”

  “No, sorry. We’ve been catching up. I forgot. Sorry.”

  “Don’t worry. I just wanted to make sure you got there okay.”

  Meg’s voice was strangled with guilt. “I’m fine.”

  “How’s Ally?”

  “She’s fine too.”

  “Say hi, won’t you?”

  “Of course.” Oh
please let this stop. It was unbearable.

  “So what are you two doing tonight?”

  Meg had to end this. “Haven’t decided,” she said brusquely. “How’s Harrison?”

  “He’ll be fine, don’t worry about him.”

  “I’d better go.”

  “Sure honey. Have a good time.”

  “Thanks, bye.”

  Meg turned off the phone and sat staring at Jamie’s back. He was leaning against the hood, smoking his cigarette. She got out of the car and walked around in front of him.

  “Was that your husband?”

  Meg nodded.

  “I suppose you want to go home now?”

  She folded her arms and looked at him. “You think this was a mistake?”

  He shook his head. “Not for a minute.”

  Meg swallowed. “I’m sorry about the money. I didn’t mean to imply you should pay for everything.”

  He shrugged, dropping the end of his cigarette on the ground and stubbing it out.

  “If we can find an ATM, I’ll get some money out.”

  Jamie considered her. “You don’t want to go home?”

  She couldn’t deny that guilt had quashed the desire she was feeling earlier. But she couldn’t go home now anyway. What would she say to Chris, suddenly appearing out of the blue? She had to stay somewhere tonight. And she had to see this through with Jamie.

  “I know somewhere we can go that won’t cost anything.”

  Meg looked at him expectantly.

  “Aurora’s. She’s got a big old place up at Katoomba. There’s, like, a hundred rooms, and she’s got an open house policy. If she’s not there, I know where she keeps the key.”

  Meg never ceased to be amazed by Jamie’s network of free accommodation.

  “How do you know this Aurora?”

  “I’ve known her forever. Everyone knows Aurora.”

  They climbed back into the car. Meg’s mobile sat flagrantly in the middle of the seat.

  “Well, I’ve checked in now,” said Meg, picking up the phone. “So I won’t be needing this anymore,” she finished, opening the glove box and tossing it in. She snapped it shut and slid across next to Jamie. She clicked the lap seat belt in place and turned to look at him. He was watching her curiously. He brought his hand up to cup her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Then he leaned forward and kissed her. Meg responded urgently. She was determined to see this through. All the stress and scheming of the past weeks had to be for something. Like she said to Ally, she had to get Jamie Carroll out of her system. No one would ever know, no one would get hurt.